Embertail's Tales
by The One and Only Vapor
Summary: Embertail is an elder of WindClan who's lived a long life. She is the oldest cat in the Clans, and has heard stories from her elders' elders- stories that perhaps were best left forgotten. But with the newest litter of kits in WindClan being more curious than most, she's promised to tell the tales she's kept hidden for so long. {{ Cover for my 100 short story challenges. }}
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: Hello all {{ or basically no one, this is my first story after all }} and welcome to Embertail's Tales! This is my 100 short story challenge for Warriors. The stories will vary from 300 to over 1,000 words in length, depending on my amount of muse. There will be a fair mix of adventure, romance, comedy and tragedy, so be prepared! I will include scenes from ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, SkyClan, StarClan AND The Dark Forest throughout this challenge. This is the list {{ though not necessarily the order }} of the challenge ideas I will be using. By the way, this story is rated T for violence and mildly suggestive themes {{nothing more than mating/birthing, I won't be descriptive, I promise }}. With that said, here we go! Enjoy, and if you don't mind, please rate and review!**_

* * *

1\. Introduction  
2\. Complicated  
3\. Making History  
4\. Rivalry  
5\. Unbreakable  
6\. Obsession  
7\. Eternity  
8\. Gateway  
9\. Death  
10\. Opportunities  
11\. One-Third  
12\. Dead Wrong  
13\. Running Away  
14\. Judgment  
15\. Seeking Solace  
16\. Excuses  
17\. Vengeance  
18\. Love  
19\. Tears  
20\. My Inspiration  
21\. Never Again  
22\. Online  
23\. Failure  
24\. Rebirth  
25\. Breaking Away  
26\. Forever and a Day  
27\. Lost and Found  
28\. Light  
29\. Dark  
30\. Faith  
31\. Colors  
32\. Exploration  
33\. Seeing Red  
34\. Shades of Grey  
35\. Forgotten  
36\. Dreamer  
37\. Mist  
38\. Burning  
39\. Out of Time  
40\. Knowing How  
41\. Fork in the Road  
42\. Start  
43\. Nature's Fury  
44\. At Peace  
45\. Heart Song  
46\. Reflection  
47\. Perfection  
48\. Everyday Magic  
49\. Umbrella  
50\. Party  
51\. Troubling Thoughts  
52\. Stirring of the Wind  
53\. Future  
54\. Health and Healing  
55\. Separation  
56\. Everything For You  
57\. Slow Down  
58\. Heartfelt Apology  
59\. Challenged  
60\. Exhaustion  
61\. Accuracy  
62\. Irregular Orbit  
63\. Cold Embrace  
64\. Frost  
65\. A Moment in Time  
66\. Dangerous Territory  
67\. Boundaries  
68\. Unsettling Revelations  
69\. Shattered  
70\. Bitter Silence  
71\. The True You  
72\. Pretense  
73\. Patience  
74\. Midnight  
75\. Shadows  
76\. Summer Haze  
77\. Memories  
78\. Change in the Weather  
79\. Illogical  
80\. Only Human  
81\. A Place to Belong  
82\. Advantage  
83\. Breakfast  
84\. Echoes  
85\. Falling  
86\. Picking up the Pieces  
87\. Gunshot  
88\. Possession  
89\. Twilight  
90\. Nowhere and Nothing  
91\. Answers  
92\. Innocence  
93\. Simplicity  
94\. Reality  
95\. Acceptance  
96\. Lesson  
97\. Enthusiasm  
98\. Game  
99\. Friendship  
100\. Endings


	2. Chapter 2- My Inspiration

Brackenwhisker let out a soft purr, her pale golden-brown tail brushing the top of the bramble den as she stretched in her nest. She stepped out into the clearing of ThunderClan's camp, and made her way over to the fresh-kill pile, sitting but not yet picking out a piece of prey. Her blue eyes automatically began to scan the camp around her as she began washing her snow-white paws and chest, trying to find if any cat was awake. More precisely, if one particular cat was awake- Hollythorn. The black she-cat was the deputy of ThunderClan, and with her tall stature, she cast an intimidating shadow onto nearly every cat in the Clan. One of the few who remained undaunted was Brackenwhisker, who had become a warrior only a moon and a half ago. Throughout her entire apprenticeship, Brackenwhisker had been desperate to befriend the older, incredibly powerful deputy, but despite her efforts, Hollythorn had rarely acknowledged her. The golden-brown she-cat suppressed a sigh at the thought.

_Of course not. I'm only ordinary._

But ever since becoming a warrior, Hollythorn had begun to pay a bit more attention. When she sent Brackenwhisker on patrols, she'd occasionally slip a "good hunting" in between giving orders. She no longer ignored Brackenwhisker when she tried to sit with the senior warriors in the nettle patch. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

Brackenwhisker had always admired the black she-cat immensely. She'd been deputy ever since the day she and her brother Oakfang were born, and from the rumors she'd heard, ThunderClan hadn't lost a single battle since Hollythorn had come to power. Brackenwhisker had the misfortune to be a bit on the small side for a warrior- she'd been teased plenty of times during her apprenticeship- and thusly was not picked to go into battle very often. But the she-cat had never given up the hope of a prowess as respectable as Hollythorn's one day.

At last, Brackenwhisker caught a glimpse of a black pelt emerging from the warriors' den. Her heart quickened hopefully as she saw Hollythorn's odd green-amber eyes flash in the sunlight. "Hollythorn!" she called, standing and trotting cheerfully over to the deputy. "I wanted, uh…um…if you…." Suddenly the smaller she-cat was flustered, unsure of what she actually wanted to see Hollythorn for. All Brackenwhisker really wanted was to be around her; Hollythorn was practically her idol. The whole of ThunderClan adored their deputy, and Brackenwhisker was often pushed out for the senior warriors. Paleclaw and Mistfoot, along with countless others, spent all of their time surrounding Hollythorn, and Brackenwhisker was rarely given the chance to talk to her. Now, however, the clearing was nearly empty. Few ThunderClan cats wanted to brave the chilly air of early morning in leaf-fall unless they were picked for patrols.

"Well?" came Hollythorn's mild inquiry. Brackenwhisker jumped, realizing her voice had suddenly trailed off.

"Oh!" she muttered in reply, golden-brown pelt burning in embarrassment. After that very intelligent response, Brackenwhisker mewed, "Um….I was just wondering if you wanted to go on a hunting patrol together?"

Hollythorn tipped her head on her side, considering the offer. "I have patrols to send out this morning. But I'd be glad to take a sunhigh hunting patrol with you and Paleclaw. Is that alright?"

Stifling a purr of excitement, Brackenwhisker nodded. "Yes, that's- that's great, Hollythorn! Thank you so much." The golden-brown she-cat waved her tail enthusiastically, hardly able to contain her happiness. It had taken moons for her to get on a patrol with this honorable she-cat; now all she could do was hope not to spoil it.

Slowly, the morning crawled past, the sun gracing the horizon briefly before rising above. Brackenwhisker spent most of the morning in the nursery with her sole friend Finchflight, whose light gray tabby stomach swelled with her soon-to-be-born kits. Finally, at sunhigh, she spotted Hollythorn striding towards the pair with a collected and intelligent expression on her face. Paleclaw's cream tabby pelt appeared just pawsteps behind her.

"Come on," called Hollythorn with a trace of a smirk. "We've decided that this hunting patrol will be a sort of assessment for you, Brackenwhisker. Your first lesson: how not to be late." Paleclaw gave a nasty snicker at this, which Brackenwhisker only acknowledged with an indifferent flick of her ear. The golden-brown she-cat didn't truly think that Hollythorn had meant for her to take offense. With an assertive nod, the black deputy led the small patrol out of camp. They headed towards the WindClan border, keeping nearer to the lake. The stream that ran through part of ThunderClan's territory was likely to be rich with prey trying to forage for one of the last times before the cold of leafbare set in.

Brackenwhisker lifted her head high with pride as she presented her cache of prey to Hollythorn and Paleclaw. The hunt had taken longer than she'd expected, and the orange sun's edge was already skimming the tops of the trees around the three she-cats. Hollythorn leaned forward to sniff one of the squirrels the golden-brown she-cat had caught, greenish-amber eyes filled with approval.

"Good job," she mewed at last to Brackenwhisker. Paleclaw merely shot her a disdainful glance, then spoke in a voice loaded with sarcasm. "Yeah. Nice catches." Brackenwhisker resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She wasn't about to let the cream tabby's pessimism get to her.

Between the three of them, they could just manage to carry all of Brackenwhisker's prey; the proud huntress had to situate a mouse between her shoulder blades due to her full mouth. _At least the Clan will eat well tonight, _she thought in satisfaction. The trio was nearing the main path to camp when Paleclaw stopped, then set down the assorted fresh-kill she'd been carrying.

"Squirrel," she muttered softly, then took off in the direction of the scent without asking Hollythorn- or Brackenwhisker, for that matter- for permission. Brackenwhisker just let out a muffled sigh and picked up the dropped prey. Hollythorn stooped to help her, and then Brackenwhisker realized something that made her drop her prey as well. The mouse comically rolled off of her back as she glanced at Hollythorn. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out but a dull squeak; the deputy gave her an odd glance until Brackenwhisker murmured, "Thank you."

"Thank you?" repeated Hollythorn, eyes filled with confusion. "For what?"

"For the hunt today." Brackenwhisker used her golden-brown tail to point at the woods behind them. "And…" She paused, searching for the right words to say. "For everything. You've been such a powerful cat, since the day I was born. I've always looked up to you, I guess. As a strong and loyal she-cat. I always wanted to be like you."

Shock was clear on Hollythorn's face. "All I ever did was serve my Clan, as loyally as I've known how-"

"No, you don't have to explain yourself. It's okay," Brackenwhisker purred. As the moment passed, she began to pick up the fresh-kill again, but gave a few final words of appreciation to the wonderful black she-cat before her.

"Thank you…for being my inspiration."

* * *

_**AN: Here is the first chapter! This is for theme #20, My Inspiration. {{ Like I said, these aren't necessarily in order. Oops. }} This story is a bit on the longer side, but I like how it turned out! I might write one more for today, but if not, expect two tomorrow for sure. I'm considering actually doing #1 next, Introduction, though I might do #3, Making History, since I have no muse for #1...  
**_

_**Anyway.**_

_**Please rate and review- I'd really like that! Thank you so much for reading!**_


	3. Chapter 3- Excuses

A cheerful, bright newleaf morning had settled over the dark pines of ShadowClan. The warmth of one of the first sunny days in moons had brought out scores of prey; birds flocked to trees thicker than the ants in an anthill. Yet despite the plentiful sources, one apprentice had seen nothing but failure all morning.

"Dawnpaw!" scolded a large smoke-coloured tom in exasperation. "Have you bees in your brain? That mouse could have felt your pawsteps in WindClan!"

The pale gray she-cat winced, ashamed. Her paws felt overly big as she scuffed the ground; it wasn't that big of a mistake, right?

"Everyone misses a catch once in a while," she started half-heartedly, but her mentor sharply cut her off.

"Once in a while, yes! But Dawnpaw, you- _you _are a very interesting case." The older tom bared his teeth, anger flashing in his amber eyes. "Every time you make a mistake- which, needless to say, is quite often- it's not your fault. When you gave the elder soaking wet moss for their nests, you said Stormpaw forgot to remind you to check it. When you tried to help Cedarberry with her herbs and gave Breezeflight parsley instead of borage, you said they looked exactly the same. When you miss a catch, it's always the wind blew the wrong way, or a fern nearby rustled. Once you said the _sun _was _shining _the wrong way! You've blamed things on cats who aren't even near you! It's time to shape up and start taking responsibility for your actions, Dawnpaw. Stop making _excuses._"

Dawnpaw was too terrified to even respond for several moments. At last she whispered feebly, "I'm sorry, Longshadow-"

"'Sorry' catches no prey," he hissed in her ear. "I don't know how you live with yourself. Have you no shame, Dawnpaw? You refuse to believe that anything is your fault!"

"I'll make up for it!" she cried out desperately, pleading in her pale amber eyes. "I can at least try! _Please_, Longshadow. I want to be a warrior more than anything. It's not my fault if I make a mistake-"

"There you go again," he snarled balefully. "That's an excuse, Dawnpaw. You need to stop."

There was a long pause, and the light gray apprentice took a deep breath. "Okay….it _is _my fault if I mess up sometimes. I forget things I should try to remember, or I'm too lazy to check the wind or sun or my surroundings before hunting. I need to try harder." Slowly Dawnpaw straightened up, and looked her mentor directly in the eyes. "I _will_ try harder, Longshadow. I promise."

The sun shone brightly over the two ShadowClan cats as the apprentice made a pact with her hulking mentor. She would try harder at everything she did, and he would see about making her into a warrior. If the apprentice could prove herself, he was willing to give her a chance.

It was time for all of the excuses to end.

* * *

_**AN: Looks like I managed to get Chapter 2 up tonight! This is theme #16, Excuses {{ I skipped around again, oops }}. I like how this one turned out, despite the fact that it's a lot shorter! I'll try to get one or two more out tomorrow. Depends on if anyone's actually reading this yet, haha.**_

_**If you are reading, free cookies! -gives a cookie- Also, if you're reading these and are a member of Chicken Smoothie, go ahead and leave a review with your CS username and I might gift you for being a loyal fan! c;**_

_**Thank you all so much, and have a good night!**_


	4. Chapter 4- Introductions

"Flowerpaw? Flowerpaw, are you listening?"

The cream-colored she-cat jumped guiltily at her mentor's words. "Er, yes, Slatefur," she replied, embarrassed. Of course, she hadn't been listening at all- as a new apprentice, this would be her first time going to a Gathering. The moon overhead shone down with a sharp, clear light, but Flowerpaw's head was spinning in confusion. Her mentor, Slatefur, had just rattled off an immense list of rules for the Gathering, along with various facts about the other Clans. So what if ThunderClan's deputy had just retired, or ShadowClan should have a new litter of warriors to announce? Flowerpaw flicked her tail in slight annoyance. Though she held no grudge towards her mentor, she wished he'd be a bit more sensitive sometimes. Just because he was so intelligent and had a great memory didn't mean she was exactly the same way.

Slatefur narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing his young apprentice's pelt. She shrank away from his scintillating blue gaze, feeling hot and uncomfortable. At last, he nodded and said in approval, "Right, then. Let's go."

Relieved, Flowerpaw trotted after her gray-black mentor, trying to keep up as best as she could with her short legs. RiverClan was the closest Clan to the island on which the Clans gathered- for which Flowerpaw was grateful tonight- and the moon lit their path in a bright, welcoming way. Flowerpaw soon began to relax. _Perhaps tonight won't be so bad, _she thought. _As long as Slatefur doesn't try to confuse me some more._ Within a few minutes, the cream-colored apprentice could see the log used to cross over to the island, washed silver in the light of the full moon.

As soon as she crossed over, Flowerpaw was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of pelts around her. The other three Clans were already there, and everywhere she looked, there seemed to be cats. Flowerpaw felt dizzy from the scents and sights and sounds that assaulted her senses- she shut her eyes, desperate to block it out, only to feel a cat bump her from behind.

"Move along, _Slowpaw!_" sneered a gray tom behind her.

"Yes, Troutpaw," she replied meekly, moving out of the way of the log for her Clanmate to pass. The rude nudge he gave her was a perfect opportunity for her to slip into the brambles nearby, and although the branches pulled at her thick fur, at least the spot was unclaimed by any other cat. It was there that Flowerpaw waited- until Slatefur found her sitting there.

"Hey, Flowerpaw," he greeted, squeezing in beside her. She shuffled her paws uneasily, muttering a reply into her chest fur. "Come on! There are cats to meet, you won't want to miss this, it's your first Gathering, after all." On and on the dark tom chattered, and Flowerpaw had little choice but to follow him.

After she was in one of the calmer throngs of cats, Slatefur began pointing around with his tail. First he went to the Great Rock. "You see Leafstar up there, on the far left? Next to her is Spottedstar, from ShadowClan. And that black tom there is Nightstar- WindClan's leader. Don't mess with him. And finally, there's Dapplestar, who leads ThunderClan- she's pretty old now." He didn't even pause before launching into the deputies at the foot of the rock, and the medicine cats beside them.

_How do you know all of this?! _Flowerpaw wanted to cry out in shock. _And more importantly, do you expect _me _to?_

"Let's look for some familiar faces here," he mused, glancing at the cats around them. "Oh! Look- that's Frostheart, she's from ShadowClan- she was apprenticed in the same moon as me- and there's her apprentice now, Pebblepaw- let's go say hello-" Flowerpaw didn't even get a chance to protest as her mentor led her towards his friend. Terrified, she froze in place, and didn't even meet the others cats' eyes for several long moments. When Flowerpaw looked up, however, she met a gorgeous pair of green eyes, brighter than the marsh grass in Greenleaf, and they belonged to a slim, intelligent-looking gray-blue tom.

The young she-cat had to swallow back a cry of surprise when she realized he was looking at her with genuine interest.

"H-hi," she murmured quietly, at last, gaze refocusing on the ground as her face heated up. Was this the Pebblepaw who Slatefur had mentioned? Had that been his name? Maybe it was Rockpaw- she wasn't good with names.

"Hello," he greeted in response, waving his dark, dappled tail confidently. Now that Flowerpaw looked at him more closely, she could see similar paler gray spots- more like dapples- along his sides and stomach. She realized she must have been looking at him like Slatefur looked at his mate, Flamepool, and her heart began pounding nervously. What if he noticed? Did she really like him like that- already?

None of the previous introductions Slatefur had given mattered anymore. This was Pebblepaw, she told herself, and she wasn't going to forget him.

Moons flew by like mere sunrises for Flowerpaw. Her initial meeting with Pebblepaw had gone far better than she'd expected- he'd made her feel so much more at ease at the Gathering. Slowly, being the perfect apprentice to Slatefur began to matter less and less to Flowerpaw- she only had to be good enough to become a warrior. Pebblepaw, on the other paw, was becoming far more important. She saw him at a border patrol three sunrises after the first Gathering, and they both attended the next one, too. After that they began to meet once a quarter moon at the border between RiverClan and ShadowClan, and those quarter moons slowly turned to every other night, to nightly. Pebblepaw, who was nearly a moon older than Flowerpaw, became a warrior- Pebblestorm. And then, before she knew it, Flowerpaw was nearly a warrior.

Her assessment took her by surprise- literally. She hadn't known it was happening until she spotted Leafstar's tabby pelt in the shadows while she was hunting. Flowerpaw was ecstatic when she passed, and earned the name Flowerbreeze. Though she had to sit vigil that night, and missed being with Pebblepaw, she didn't mind in the least- being a warrior was so much more important for the time being.

But then, sitting vigil, Flowerbreeze realized something- she loved Pebblestorm.

What they were doing was breaking the code, but the cream-colored she-cat loved him anyway. She loved him enough to break the code.

She loved him enough to join ShadowClan for him.

The leafbare sun was bleak in the sky, casting light but no warmth onto the cats below. The snow on the ground was pure white and fresh, making crisp crunching sounds as two cats- one who stood out starkly, and one who nearly blended in- walked across it.

Pebblestorm held his head high as he approached the ShadowClan camp. He knew he had nothing to fear from his own Clan. Leafstar and Spottedstar had already agreed to this, hadn't they? His tortoiseshell leader, though mixed-minded as the colors on her pelt, would not turn her back on him. He was her kin, after all. And so he walked without care, with the confident and intelligence he'd always possessed, into his camp.

Immediately, cats began to crowd him- elders, warriors, apprentices, even kits. He saw his mother Briskwind in the background, and Spottedstar watching through even blue eyes. At the Clan's unanimous clamoring, he raised his tail for silence, and then began to speak.

"This is Flowerbreeze." Pebblestorm's blue eyes were full of pride at the introduction. "This is my mate."

* * *

_**AN: Oh my goodness, guys, I'm so sorry I couldn't release this one yesterday! My family planned an all-day beach day sort of trip today, and I was too busy helping out to post... x.x I won't be able to release another one tonight like I'd planned to, but I hope you all do enjoy this one! It actually is Theme #1, Introductions, though I strayed a fair bit from that after having this idea. cx I was going to end it more tragically, since we haven't had any sad chapters yet, but there'll be plenty of opportunities in the future, trust me!**_

_**I hope you all enjoy the story of Flowerpaw and Pebblepaw!**_

_**Please review if you can, and follows/favorites are always appreciated!**_

_**Thank you all so much!**_


	5. Chapter 5- Nature's Fury

Deep, powdery snow swirled all around the cats of WindClan, coating the moors in blankets so thick that even the hares struggled to leap over them. A brisk wind howled outside of their underground dens, freezing any living thing that dared emerge from its burrow. Newleaf was supposed to be on its way, yet leafbare still held a shockingly tight grasp over the moor.

Anxiously, Rainstar peered out of the small overhang she shared with her deputy, Sparrowflight, and medicine cat, Duskwhisker. The snow was too deep to go hunting in- already Lionfang had died of starvation, and Brookkit had fallen ill along with her mother, Smokefur. Times were rougher than Rainstar had ever imagined possible. Survival looked bleak for WindClan.

As day passed imperceptibly into night, the snowstorm became even harsher. The wind had turned into a gale, flinging pawfuls of snow down with every forceful gust. Rainstar knew that, sooner or later, a few brave members of the Clan would be forced to venture out on a deadly hunting expedition. Standing- and giving a shudder at the cold through her thin skin- the speckled gray she-cat bounded over to one of the three dens the warriors were sharing, hoping some would be awake. Since the snowstorm had started, the cats of WindClan hadn't had much to do besides sleep and try to conserve energy.

Rainstar quickly picked out several pairs of eyes, bright compared to the gloom around them. After a moment she hissed, "Berrytail. Mallowfur. Do you two think you could come on a hunting patrol?" The brother and sister respectively both had pale coats and sharp senses; if she didn't lose them in the storm, Rainstar knew they would make a good pair for hunting. There was a long pause before Mallowfur's green eyes blinked in assent, and the off-white she-cat nudged her brother, getting both of them to their paws. Rainstar let out a sigh of relief, and the three cats left the den together.

The hunting patrol, as could be expected, was cold and painful. All three cats were painfully scrawny after the harsh moons of leafbare, and Mallowfur nearly fell into a snowdrift when a strong wind pushed the cats to the side. It was a long, bleak trek to the ThunderClan border, and Rainstar sat down in exhaustion once they reached the tree line. Mallowfur and Berrytail did the same, and there the patrol rested for several minutes, catching their breath after fighting the elements.

Rather painfully, Rainstar stood again, her speckled pelt dusted with snow. She turned to swipe a half-hearted tongue over her paws when she spotted a pitifully skinny squirrel just a few fox-lengths from a nearby tree. Though she was a WindClan cat and knew little of stalking, Rainstar dropped into her best hunting crouch, and suddenly sprang at the squirrel; its senses must have been dulled by the storm, as somehow her paws landed on its tail, pinning it in place. She quickly snapped its neck and turned to the two warriors accompanying her, eyes bright with pride.

"Wow!" Berrytail breathed. "That's more prey than we've seen in the last quarter moon."

"Yes," Rainstar agreed, feeling cautiously optimistic. "This won't feed many cats, but it's something. Let's head back to camp."

Another half moon passed, and though more cats were falling sick from the cold and lack of food, newleaf was beginning to show signs at last. The snow had stopped falling from the sky save a light, powdery layer of flakes, and a few patches on the ground in camp were even melting to reveal dirt. However, for all the good things happening, WindClan was ominously solemn; Rainstar was one of the cats who had become ill, and Duskwhisker had declared it to be greencough.

Without food or herbs, Rainstar's health was fading fast. Only Duskwhisker was even permitted contact with the Clan's sick leader. But the next sunrise, the lack of supplies took its dreadful toll on WindClan's beloved leader, and her six lives were reduced to five. Weak but determined to survive- and now healed of her greencough- Rainstar led her Clan bravely on, despite having half the amount of healthy warriors and a fraction of the amount of food available to them. And slowly newleaf returned, the sun shining brighter, the snow slowly melting away, and the prey running again, though in far fewer numbers than before.

One of those first warm newleaf days was the day of the snowmelt. The river that marked the border between ThunderClan and WindClan had been running nearly completely dry, filled only with snow and the tiniest bit of ice frozen at the bottom; but on a warm day like the day of the snowmelt, that all began to change. There was hardly even a warning from the river. The day before it was somewhat warm, and when Sparrowflight led a patrol to the ThunderClan border, he reported only a small amount of running water in the streambed. But the next day, the sun cast its rays to the ground below, and the warmth caused a chain reaction. By the time Rainstar had made her way to the border, albeit hearing some odd sounds along the way, it was too late.

Only she and one other cat, a tom named Brackentail, were on the patrol. As the two approached the border, Rainstar frowned and flicked her tail, motioning for the warrior beside her to stop.

"Do you hear that?" she asked, one ear twitching in confusion. There was a heartbeat's pause before Brackentail answered.

"Yeah…it sounds like…water. And rocks," he added, eyes narrowing. "But there shouldn't be any water- right?"

Rainstar shrugged in response. "Let's go check it out. It could just be ThunderClan messing around," the speckled she-cat pointed out. Brackentail rolled his eyes at his leader, but more in amusement than irritation. They bounded towards the border together, Brackentail a pawstep behind- a pawstep that seemed very far away when Rainstar slipped without warning and disappeared into the running water.

At first the tom was merely confused; where could Rainstar have possibly gone? Then he, too, fell into the river. Realization dawned on him like the current crashing over his head. The river had flooded its banks, swirling away towards the lake in an angry torrent, and taking the two WindClan cats with it. Neither of them had ever learned to swim properly, but Brackentail saw Rainstar's gray head surface a few tail-lengths away from him, and he floundered desperately towards her. It didn't do very much; by the time he reached her, the river had emptied into the lake, plunging both of them underwater. The overlapping currents and the cold shock of the water- the lake was still partly frozen from the snowstorm- numbed Brackentail, and by the time he surfaced again he was too exhausted to register the difference between up and down.

The light brown tom felt at peace as the frigid lake dragged him down into its depths, and Rainstar soon followed. Through hazy eyes he watched her large form darken the rays of light watching him from above, and he watched as she stopped moving. His eyes closed as he saw her kicking towards him once more; and that was the last he knew.

_Rainstar survived that deadly battle against the river, though she lost a life in the process. That leafbare was one of the worst WindClan had ever known; Lionfang, Smokefur, Brackentail, Poppyclaw, and Grassfrost all died, and Rainstar lost two of her lives. It was known as "the season of tragedy" for the Clan long after Rainstar was gone- the snowstorms had been going on ever since leaf-fall, and many cats starved from the lack of proper food. Keep this story in mind for the rest of your lives and know that, as strong a warrior as you are, no one can command the elements or stand against nature's fury._

* * *

_**AN: Wow guys, sorry for the late update again. I started #23, Failure, last night (it fit my mood quite well) but I think I might end up scrapping that one as I'm not happy with how it came out...and I didn't really have the inspiration for any more stories. So instead I decided to do #43, Nature's Fury, today! I had a lot of fun with this one, although as most of my stories seem to, it ended a lot differently than I'd expected, switching to Brackentail's perspective. I originally planned to add a sort of tornado into the blizzard, too, but that never ended up happening...**_

_**Also, is that last bit that I spy a few words from Embertail?! It very well could be!**_

_** Guest: Aww, thank you so much! I'm really sorry for my slow updates, had kind of a bad day yesterday haha...**_

_** Magicpelt: It's not intended to be- Embertail is merely a cover for my stories or "tales" (I love the tail/tale homophone, so that's why I used it). However, I suppose it kind of is becoming a little bit like Darktail's Tales! I do read those (and love them), but these ones are less...dark, I guess. I might even put some parodies in here ^.^ So that and the fact that this is a 100-oneshot challenge rather than a random idea are the main differences. Thank you very much, though! I'm glad you like the series so far 3**_

_**As always, please rate and review if you can! Thank you for reading, and until next chapter, have a good day/night!**_


End file.
